Hillary on authoritarian parenting

Authoritarian parents don’t see alternatives. To them there is only one way–their way. THey try to control their children’s thoughts and actions with persistent verbal and physical discipline that does not distinguish between important and minor infractions. The novelist Pat Conroy’s father, as depicted in Conroy’s novel The Great Santini, is a classic example of an authoritarian. Overbearing, harsh, even sadistic, he justifies his behavior by believing he is creating tough kids who will be able to go toe-to-toe with a cruel, harsh world. Conroy vividly captures how children either mimic the behavior of authoritarian parents or grow up anxious and insecure.